The Dragon Slaying Battle of the Cold Weapon Era

The spear thrown by the bear-man Baka was incredibly powerful. Yu Lian didn't doubt for a second that it could pierce a tank's armor. However, his opponent was already prepared, deploying a Positron Shield that formed a transparent, rippling wall of light.

Clang! The spear struck the sphere of light, making a sound like metal hitting metal. It wasn't deflected like a bullet, but rather veered off course slightly, its momentum undiminished. It ended up stuck in the Gravel Dragon's fleshy wing. The Gravel Dragon yelped in pain and opened its maw to bite at the rebar, but by then, Lieutenant Mondsen, like a legendary hero from the age of cold weapons, had already charged to its front and swung his sword in a horizontal slash.

The blade, already emitting a "humming" roar, sent sparks flying against the dragon's steel carapace. The sharp "squealing" friction was like metal being cut in a steel mill, grating painfully on the ears.

Lieutenant Mondsen's eyes were bloodshot, and he gritted his teeth. Sparks flew onto his Power Armor and even his face, but he didn't even flinch. He was tough as hell, and undeniably cool.

Yu Lian leaped down from the city wall, gun in hand. His legs buckled upon landing, and he stumbled, nearly falling. He could almost hear his internal Nanomachines crying out in agony, but he used his experience from his previous life to roll, vaulting over burning rubble and sliding across a collapsed steel frame, landing behind the Gravel Dragon. He pulled a Grenade from his waist, pulled the pin, and shoved it into a crack between the scales on the dragon's back armor – the same wound Ina had inflicted earlier.

Yu Lian rolled back behind the steel frame, covering his head. Lieutenant Mondsen clearly saw this. The middle-aged man, who had transformed from a greasy uncle back into a swordsman, abruptly pulled his blade back, parrying the Gravel Dragon's lunge, and leaped back two steps. His movements weren't elegant, but they were agile and decisive.

Having Exoskeleton is really great! I'm missing my emblem machine more and more. Yu Lian thought, covering his ears.

A dull explosion sent scales and blood flying from the monster, shaking it to the ground once more.

Yu Lian poked his head out from behind the rebar, sighing. His first glance wasn't at the Gravel Dragon, which was finally heavily wounded, but at Ina, who had half her body out of the turret, seemingly wanting to help.

"Ina, don't worry about this side!" Yu Lian shouted loudly.

Ina decisively retracted her head. After a few seconds of silence, her operated machine gun roared to life again.

"Everyone to your positions! Hold your ground!" Yu Lian yelled, rallying the others. He picked up a High-Carbon Crystal Sword from the ground, dodged the Gravel Dragon's wildly flailing tail, and slid around to its flank.

He skillfully channeled the power of the Spirit of the Universe, feeling the smooth, wondrous energy flow into his arm. With a casual sweep of his sword, he displayed a masterful technique, deflecting the dragon's wing bone that it used to block his blade. He slid the sword into the gap, driving it deep into the dragon's flank.

Yu Lian struck precisely at the joint between its abdominal carapace and back scales, the dragon's weakest point. If any expert were present, they would surely consider him the true sword master, far surpassing Lieutenant Mondsen.

This was hardly surprising. After all, Yu Lian had mastered the entire "Imperial Assault Team Swordsmanship" in his previous life, even completely learning the internal fifth form, which only elite special forces could study, and the sixth form, exclusively for the Astral Knights.

Mental memories couldn't replace muscle memory, and the physical condition of two lifetimes was worlds apart. But wasn't there Psionics, that incredibly unscientific thing?

Yes, psionics could indeed substitute for physical ability and strength, unleashing extraordinary power and performing high-difficulty actions that defied common sense, much like the settings in martial arts novels. This extraordinary power had led to the flourishing of countless martial arts schools across the universe, creating a prosperous era of martial virtue...

Well, a prosperous era of cold weapons! No complaints there.

Of course, freely combining Psionics and martial arts skills was quite demanding on an awakened individual's psionic cultivation, proficiency, and combat experience. Not only Yu Lian, who hadn't even touched the Star Ring and was merely a novice sensitive, but even many high-level psionics who could be called "masters" were clumsy in this regard.

This was even more true if their Star Ring wasn't suited for combat.

Fortunately, although Yu Lian's current body was weak and his psionic strength was barely at a beginner's level, he lacked nothing in experience.

This applied to his mastery of martial arts, his comprehension of Psionics, and the seamless integration of the two.

His sword seemed to create a chainsaw-like vibration in the air, leaving a considerable wound on the Gravel Dragon's abdomen. A large amount of dark brownish-yellow liquid seeped out. It was dark, pungent, and not very viscous. It was hard to say whether it was blood or bodily fluid. It wasn't surprising that scientists struggled to classify these creatures as "insects" or "beasts."

Yu Lian, successful with his strike, didn't try to pull his sword out. He quickly retreated. As a renowned ranger who roamed the galaxy, he wouldn't make such a rookie mistake.

Indeed, just as he retreated a few steps, the ground where he stood was pierced by suddenly rising earth spikes. Looking closer, he saw two sharp claws extending from the monster's lumbar spine, connected to two tentacles covered in fine barbs. One burrowed into the ground – the source of the sneak attack on Yu Lian – while the other whipped out like a steel whip, creating a crackle in the hot air, and swept across Youyou, who was charging in to reinforce.

The second-strongest giant in the team was sent flying back like a kite with a broken string. He crashed into the rubble by the city wall without a sound, unable to climb out for a while.

Of course, Sergeant Youyou was wearing Power Armor, so he should be fine, right? Probably...

Also, he hadn't died without helping at all. The charge of the large man in the Exoskeleton had, for a moment, drawn almost all of the Gravel Dragon's attention. His body had also blocked the path of the bear-man Sergeant behind him.

Under the cover of his comrade's "sacrifice," Baka had charged to the Gravel Dragon's side, still holding the oversized Special Power Axe in both hands. He roared and swung the axe, smashing directly into... well, smashing into the sword Yu Lian had left in the Gravel Dragon. At first glance, it looked like he was driving a stake, pushing the blade half a foot deeper, leaving only the hilt.

Yu Lian gasped, feeling a twinge of pain himself.

Judging solely by that move, anyone who thought this seemingly wild and reckless bear-man warrior was brainless would truly be brainless.

Normally, this monster would have already flapped its wings and fled. Although the Gravel Dragon was a wild creature, and it was truly unknown whether it was an insect or a beast, its intelligence was quite high. However, at this moment, it still didn't let out a cry of pain or fear. It managed to stand upright, using its tail and two tentacles for balance, and opened its massive maw. A blinding light flashed within, condensing into a ball of light that shot out.

This time, its target was not Yu Lian and the others nearby, nor the soldiers on the city wall, but the turret where Ina was located.

Yu Lian was the only one present who reacted in time. He instinctively channeled all his energy and stamina into a Psionic Shockwave, hitting the light ball's trajectory and deflecting it.

The incredibly powerful light ball struck the city wall partition next to the tower. Although it didn't hit its target directly, it seemed to have caused irreversible damage to the steel frame supporting the sentry gun. The turret immediately tilted noticeably, groaning and leaning further, threatening to collapse at any moment. Fortunately, Ina, who was in the tower, had already leaped from her seat and rolled onto the city wall.

Yu Lian breathed a sigh of relief, but his limbs suddenly felt weak, and his vision blurred. He knew that the excessive use of Psionics had strained his frail body.

But just then, the Gravel Dragon's whip-like tentacles, tipped with sharp hook blades, lashed out.

Yu Lian focused the little Psionic energy he had left into his arms, cupped his hands over his head, and crouched, preparing to meet the impact in the most undignified way possible. However, it didn't come. Opening his eyes, he saw that the Gravel Dragon's other tentacle was being held by the Big Black Guy Youyou and Sergeant Baka.

These two, the first and second strongest in the team, were pulling the Gravel Dragon back with all their might, like a tug-of-war. At the same time, the fierce "swordsman" Lieutenant Mondsen charged forward again. He probably believed the dragon's flapping wings were its source of power, so he sliced through the membrane of its fleshy wing with his sword.

The Gravel Dragon was truly panicked this time. It spat out another Energy Bomb, but its speed and power were far inferior to the previous one. It was clearly fired before its cooldown was complete. Nevertheless, the bomb struck Lieutenant Mondsen, who was standing right in front of it, and exploded into a mass of crackling arcs and flames, igniting him.

The Lieutenant let out a muffled groan of pain, but with another sword strike, he tore away another of the Gravel Dragon's wing membranes.

The Gravel Dragon let out its first truly piercing shriek of the day, like the death cry of a strangled crow amplified tenfold. Its fear and rage were palpable. With a burst of strength from who-knew-where, it flung Baka and Youyou aside with its tentacles. Flapping its tattered wings, it leaped several meters into the air with two swords still embedded in its body, preparing to escape.

However, it was too late. Yu Lian, wielding a Power Hammer he had somehow acquired, stood on its back and brought the hammer down on its forehead!